Council tenants left waiting in 'deplorable' homes as emergency repair bill tops €1.5m

More than €1.5 million has been spent carrying out emergency repairs to defective council homes in Donegal, with no social home remediation scheme start date yet in sight. Donegal County Council has now spent €1,511,438.79 on patching works at 313 properties affected by defective concrete blocks. The average cost was €4,828.88 per home. Only €283,570 has been recouped from the government so far, with the council expecting to pursue the remaining costs when the Social Housing Remediation Scheme is eventually introduced. 100% Redress Party councillor Tómas Seán Devine has called on the Government to urgently establish and fund the scheme. “We have been told that this scheme is imminent for far too long,” he told Monday’s plenary council meeting. “It has got to the stage now where people are starting to question whether there is even a scheme being considered or whether it is coming into place at all.” He said council tenants are living in "deplorable conditions" with nowhere else to go. Cllr Ali Farren supported the motion and said people are "stressed to the neck" while homes were continuing to deteriorate. An estimated 1,200 - 1,800 social homes owned by Donegal County Council are affected by defective blocks. Cllr Devine also questioned the continued use of temporary repairs. He said tenders were being issued for works costing tens of thousands of euro to partially repair affected homes. “That is probably welcome to a certain extent when we are trying to keep people in their homes, but it is a waste of money, time and resources,” he said. He urged the council to consider beginning full remediation works itself and attempting to recoup the funding from the Government afterwards. Director of Housing Anne Marie Conlon said the council fully supported the motion. She said officials had been in ongoing contact with the Department and had repeatedly stressed the need for a fully funded scheme. “We do not have a timeline at this point, but we can write to the Department again,” she said. “We will continue to engage with the Department and stress the urgency of it.” The motion was passed. Donegal County Council will now write to the Department seeking an update and calling for the Social Housing Remediation Scheme to be established and made operational as soon as possible.